“elderjuice.com is immensely proud to sponsor the highest mountain in the British Isles. Good luck boys - see you on the summit!”
www.elderjuice.com
Want to sponsor your own Munro? Just get in touch for more information: decaid@live.co.uk
Monday 28 March 2011
Elderjuice.com
“elderjuice.com is immensely proud to sponsor the highest mountain in the British Isles. Good luck boys - see you on the summit!”
www.elderjuice.com
Want to sponsor your own Munro? Just get in touch for more information: decaid@live.co.uk
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Cunning Running Software Ltd
Thank you to our new sponsor Cunning Running Software Ltd who have become the latest company to sponsor a Munro!www.cunningrunning.co.uk
An Easier Week
TOM:
This weekend saw a change to the previous weeks with the team concentrating on their cycling and taking things slightly easier than the previous three weekends.
On Saturday, five of the team (Alex, Ceri, Stu, Becky and me) took a gentle cycle down to Exmouth and back. This round trip of about 22 miles follows the very picturesque tow path along the Exeter canal before going through Topsham and then the final stretch along the estury into Exmouth. When we got back to Exeter, Stu and Alex called it a day whilst Becky, Ceri and myself, motivated by the fact that on day one of the Mission in August we will cycle almost 80 miles on top of the 15 miles we'll eb doing on foot that day, carried on for another hour and stuck in a couple of hills. A very enjoyable and relaxed morning's training compared to the last few weeks!
Sunday saw us take a break from any physical training as we spent the day with the rest of the DecAid team working on our event. The main thing we concentrated on was planning our recce which is going to be happening this April...watch this space for more details....
This weekend saw a change to the previous weeks with the team concentrating on their cycling and taking things slightly easier than the previous three weekends.
On Saturday, five of the team (Alex, Ceri, Stu, Becky and me) took a gentle cycle down to Exmouth and back. This round trip of about 22 miles follows the very picturesque tow path along the Exeter canal before going through Topsham and then the final stretch along the estury into Exmouth. When we got back to Exeter, Stu and Alex called it a day whilst Becky, Ceri and myself, motivated by the fact that on day one of the Mission in August we will cycle almost 80 miles on top of the 15 miles we'll eb doing on foot that day, carried on for another hour and stuck in a couple of hills. A very enjoyable and relaxed morning's training compared to the last few weeks!
Sunday saw us take a break from any physical training as we spent the day with the rest of the DecAid team working on our event. The main thing we concentrated on was planning our recce which is going to be happening this April...watch this space for more details....
Friday 18 March 2011
The Grizzly 2011
Alex:
This weekend saw the team taking on the mighty Grizzly, a 20 mile race held annually in Seaton, East Devon. The event, organised by the local club Axe Valley Runners is famed for its ability to slay even the toughest of characters with its knee shattering multi-terrain course that takes in the finest hills, beaches and bogs that the South-West Coast Path has to offer. Now in its 24th time of offering, this year’s Grizzly, ominously nicknamed “The Valley of The Bogs,” certainly didn’t disappoint!
Much to the bemusement of the other competitors that we spoke to before the race, the team treated the event as a training run, a mere doddle, after the previous few weeks’ hectic training schedules! From the off, the atmosphere of the event was incredible, with crystal clear blue skies beaming down on the excited/petrified competitors as they headed off along the beach from Seaton. Myself, Tom and Ceri resisted the temptation to get caught up in the event and settled down to our usual shuffle as the course slowly began to wind its way up onto the cliff tops to the west of Seaton. The scenery was absolutely spectacular with unobstructed views along the Jurassic Coast all the way to Portland Bill to the east. After all the fantastic weather that we’ve had over the last few weeks, the path along the cliff tops was firm and dry and we started to question whether this “Valley of The Bogs” business was just a lot of scare mongering! Perhaps we would go home with dry feet after all! This foolish optimism was soon put to rest as the path plunged steeply downhill onto the beach at Branscombe, where the event organisers had kindly directed the route through a foot deep pool of water! This was very much a sign of things to come as the route twisted its way inland through wooded sections by the river where the infamous bogs were lurking! Many of the bogs were more than a foot deep and left the competitors scrambling desperately to stay on their feet. Despite a few close shaves I managed to keep my shoes on, however the same cannot be said for a few poor competitors who were left digging around franticly on their hands and knees for their shoes. The route continued in this vein for the next 15 miles or so, taking us up and down some particularly steep hilly sections and across churned up farmland. The locals were out in force along the way, providing fantastic support and much needed encouragement and jelly babies for the competitors. The rip-roaring rendition of “Twist and Shout” by the Beatles performed by some local farmers in a barn was particularly amusing and helped take our minds off the battering that we were putting our bodies through!
After about 16 miles of heavy ascents/descents through bog ridden valleys, the route eventually opened back out onto the beach at Branscombe to a crescendo of drums played by a local group. The route organisers, being the sadistic bunch that they are put the next mile or so along the stony beach. After the abuse that our legs had already taken, this section of loose pebbles proved to be quite difficult and seemed to last for an eternity. In order to take my mind off the pain I focused my attentions on scanning the beach for any washed up BMW’s or pieces of priceless art work that may have been missed after the contents of the container ship MSC Napoli were washed ashore here 4 years ago. Unfortunately, we didn’t find any treasures and were left to tackle the steep switch backs up the cliffs towards Beer. The next few miles saw us heading back along the cliff tops and back along the beach to the finish at Seaton. The 3 of hobbled over the finish line in a time of around 3 hours 40 minutes, with a great bit of training under our belts and our bodies just about in one piece! At the finish we were met by hundreds of cheering locals and the fire brigade who kindly hosed down our mud-caked legs!
The whole event was a resounding success, and I would strongly encourage anyone to give it a go next year. The atmosphere along the entire route was absolutely fantastic, and a big thank you has to go out to the event organisers who did an awesome job of marshalling the route, and providing us with an epic challenge that I’m sure none of us will forget in a hurry! Bring on The Grizzly 2012!
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Whetman Pinks
A huge thank you to Whetman Pinks for sponsoring Creag Mhor!Whetman Pinks have been the main grower and distributer of scented Pinks in the UK since 1936. Our service to you is proffesional and friendly and with more than 70 varieties to choose from, you, our valued customers, are able to order plants on line.
"We admire the selfless effort of all involved in DecAid and I am proud that Whetman Pinks is sponsoring Creag Mhor. All at Whetmans wish the Royal Marines success and maybe even some enjoyment!"
www.whetmanpinks.com
Friday 11 March 2011
Thursday 10 March 2011
The Inver Hotel
A big thank you (again) to the Inver Hotel for sponsoring Lochnagar which we will be climbing on 11th August. We spent a very comfortable night in the hotel last summer whilst we were training and are very pleased to have been invited back!www.inverhotel.com
Monday 7 March 2011
Training Weekend 5-6 Mar in North Devon
CERI:
Another excellent weekend training, this time in North Devon using the panoramic views of the North Devon Coast taking in many miles of the coastal path and beaches. Tom, Ceri, Alex and Stu were very kindly accommodated by Leigh and Vicky Skelton at their home in Barnstaple which was used as the base for this weekend.
The team arrived at the Skelton's home at midday on Saturday where we prepared for a five hour run. Vicky Skelton who is an ultra distance runner for Great Britain and has competed and won internationally was ready to put the team through their paces. We drove to Broughton Burrows and set off across sand dunes on to the North Devon Coastal path, after several ascents and descents along the path we ran a good mile stretch on the sands before climbing again, this time up to Baggy Point. Stu turned back at this point as he is still building up his time on feet after a lengthy injury. With fantastic views and the sun shining but a constant chilly wind to contend with the team at this point were feeling good and strong. A couple of more miles on the coastal path Vicky and the team then turned inland to start the return trip back to the car. After one minor back track due to a path change on the ground compared to the map the team made good time over some hilly terrain through farm and open land and over a few streams and boggy fields arrived back on the the coastal path. After four and a half hours the car was less than a couple of kilometres away and to ensure we made use of the sunlight Vicky took the team to finish off with a little bit of dune work before returning back to the car. On checking watches and GPS we had covered 23 miles in 4 hrs 48 mins, a really good days training. Vicky drove back to Barnstaple and their comfortable home where all stretched and re-hydrated. Leigh was the chef of the day and looked after all with an excellent chilli-con carne and then checked and discussed the days training and planned for the three hour outing we had set ourselves for Sunday.
After a very comfortable nights kip Leigh raised the team and set everyone up with an eggs, bacon and toast breakfast which all enjoyed getting everyone ready for the training ahead. Running from the house this time, the first half mile was a steady climb which warmed all up and shook the legs out after the previous days training. No one was feeling any ill effects from Saturday so all was looking good. A slight detour to where the Skelton's kept their horses to let the horses from their stables into the fields Vicky then led the team out into the countryside. This was going to be a hilly day although not as quick as yesterday but just as much effort required. So, good hill work at a good steady pace was the aim of the day, the team set down to enjoy again a bright but chilly morning on their feet covering some good ground work in their training. The hills started to take their toll but all cracked on with good banter all the way round. As the team didn't quite make five hours on the Saturday Vicky ensured there was not going to be a repeat of the shortfall so as the three hour point crept up a few loops were added, albeit the team would not have been any the wiser on their whereabouts. Vicky brought the team back home at three hours twelve minutes having covered a good 15 miles. Again an excellent days training. After some good stretching a well deserved cup of tea and some nibbles all the team members were ready for a good rest. Overall an excellent training weekend covering on foot almost 40 miles (60-65Kms) perfect, and setting the team on track for the coming big event which is only just over 150 days away. A steady drive back to Exeter and ready for some rest.
A big thank you to both Leigh and Vicky Skelton and their family for looking after us so well and putting such a good training weekend together, and not forgetting Bo the dog who was there to greet us all on our returns, Thank You.
Another excellent weekend training, this time in North Devon using the panoramic views of the North Devon Coast taking in many miles of the coastal path and beaches. Tom, Ceri, Alex and Stu were very kindly accommodated by Leigh and Vicky Skelton at their home in Barnstaple which was used as the base for this weekend.
The team arrived at the Skelton's home at midday on Saturday where we prepared for a five hour run. Vicky Skelton who is an ultra distance runner for Great Britain and has competed and won internationally was ready to put the team through their paces. We drove to Broughton Burrows and set off across sand dunes on to the North Devon Coastal path, after several ascents and descents along the path we ran a good mile stretch on the sands before climbing again, this time up to Baggy Point. Stu turned back at this point as he is still building up his time on feet after a lengthy injury. With fantastic views and the sun shining but a constant chilly wind to contend with the team at this point were feeling good and strong. A couple of more miles on the coastal path Vicky and the team then turned inland to start the return trip back to the car. After one minor back track due to a path change on the ground compared to the map the team made good time over some hilly terrain through farm and open land and over a few streams and boggy fields arrived back on the the coastal path. After four and a half hours the car was less than a couple of kilometres away and to ensure we made use of the sunlight Vicky took the team to finish off with a little bit of dune work before returning back to the car. On checking watches and GPS we had covered 23 miles in 4 hrs 48 mins, a really good days training. Vicky drove back to Barnstaple and their comfortable home where all stretched and re-hydrated. Leigh was the chef of the day and looked after all with an excellent chilli-con carne and then checked and discussed the days training and planned for the three hour outing we had set ourselves for Sunday.
After a very comfortable nights kip Leigh raised the team and set everyone up with an eggs, bacon and toast breakfast which all enjoyed getting everyone ready for the training ahead. Running from the house this time, the first half mile was a steady climb which warmed all up and shook the legs out after the previous days training. No one was feeling any ill effects from Saturday so all was looking good. A slight detour to where the Skelton's kept their horses to let the horses from their stables into the fields Vicky then led the team out into the countryside. This was going to be a hilly day although not as quick as yesterday but just as much effort required. So, good hill work at a good steady pace was the aim of the day, the team set down to enjoy again a bright but chilly morning on their feet covering some good ground work in their training. The hills started to take their toll but all cracked on with good banter all the way round. As the team didn't quite make five hours on the Saturday Vicky ensured there was not going to be a repeat of the shortfall so as the three hour point crept up a few loops were added, albeit the team would not have been any the wiser on their whereabouts. Vicky brought the team back home at three hours twelve minutes having covered a good 15 miles. Again an excellent days training. After some good stretching a well deserved cup of tea and some nibbles all the team members were ready for a good rest. Overall an excellent training weekend covering on foot almost 40 miles (60-65Kms) perfect, and setting the team on track for the coming big event which is only just over 150 days away. A steady drive back to Exeter and ready for some rest.
A big thank you to both Leigh and Vicky Skelton and their family for looking after us so well and putting such a good training weekend together, and not forgetting Bo the dog who was there to greet us all on our returns, Thank You.
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Training weekend on Dartmoor
BECKY:
The team has just completed an intense weekend of training on Dartmoor. The training began with a 30k running loop through Dartmoor, beginning and finishing at Burator reservoir. The route was hilly and mostly off road, and the team completed the route in an impressive 3hrs and 45mins. We were lucky enough to miss most of the rain on Saturday, but the ground was certainly boggy enough to ensure that our shoes stayed soaking wet for most of the day! Our support team befriended some of the local residents whilst the team was running and managed to find us an empty field to camp in for the night, so after finishing the running loop us four runners switched to our bikes and we cycled the last 5miles to camp.
The team has just completed an intense weekend of training on Dartmoor. The training began with a 30k running loop through Dartmoor, beginning and finishing at Burator reservoir. The route was hilly and mostly off road, and the team completed the route in an impressive 3hrs and 45mins. We were lucky enough to miss most of the rain on Saturday, but the ground was certainly boggy enough to ensure that our shoes stayed soaking wet for most of the day! Our support team befriended some of the local residents whilst the team was running and managed to find us an empty field to camp in for the night, so after finishing the running loop us four runners switched to our bikes and we cycled the last 5miles to camp.
All in all an excellent weekend of training, a lot was learnt particularly with regards to logistics for the support team and bike maintenance. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Ray and Fiona for lending us their field and letting us cook and prep our bikes in their shed.
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